For Immediate Release
Contact: Cynthia Santana/Communications Manager
206-256-5219 cynthia.santana@seattle.gov
City of Seattle’s groundbreaking Domestic Workers Ordinance goes into effect providing protections for more than 30,000 workers
Seattle (July 1, 2019) – The Office of Labor Standards (OLS) announces Seattle’s landmark Domestic Workers Ordinance will go into effect today, Monday, July 1, 2019. The ordinance benefits an estimated 33,000 workers including nannies, house cleaners, home care workers, gardeners, cooks, and household managers. In July 2018, Seattle made history as the first city in the nation to pass a domestic worker “bill of rights,” joining nine other states. Under the ordinance, domestic workers have the right to basic worker protections including:
• Payment of Seattle’s minimum wage
• Uninterrupted meal and rest breaks, or extra pay if they do not get a break
• One day (24 hours) off after working six consecutive days, for workers who live or sleep where they are employed
• Keep in their possession all original documents or personal effects
• Protections against sexual harassment and discrimination
Both employees and independent contractors who perform the specified job functions are extended protections. Individuals, households, and traditional employers are covered “hiring entities” under the law and subject to its requirements. Preliminary explanations of the rules for the Domestic Workers Ordinance and meal periods and rest breaks are available on the Office of Labor Standards website. Stakeholder meetings are ongoing as OLS gathers feedback for the drafting of final rules. Proposed rules will be available for public comment in the coming months.
“After listening to the tragic stories of domestic workers and what they endure due to the lack of basic worker protections, I committed to passing legislation to support domestic workers during my first year in office,” said Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “With the implementation of this first-of-its-kind municipal law, we are protecting some of our most marginalized workers and opening the door to economic opportunity for them and their families. I am forever grateful for the bravery of these domestic workers who demanded better working conditions.”
“After decades of advocacy by domestic workers, and after six months of intense bill writing and leadership by domestic workers, last year I sponsored and the council passed the first city-level domestic workers bill of rights in the nation, said Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide). “Domestic workers – disproportionately women, people of color, and immigrants – will now be able to have the workplace protections that workers in almost every other industry already receive. This effort was led by domestic workers, high-road employers, and the community at large – and I am proud that it is recognized by the National Domestic Workers Alliance as the most comprehensive and strongest law to protect domestic workers to date. I look forward to supporting the future labor standards recommendations that will also come from the newly created Domestic Workers Board to extend additional protections.”
Along with worker protections, the ordinance created a Domestic Workers Standards Board bringing together workers, households, and employers to share insights on working conditions and to propose policy recommendations for consideration to the Mayor, City Council, and the Office of Labor Standards.
The Office of Labor Standards provides outreach and education to domestic workers and hiring entities to increase awareness of rights and responsibilities under this new law. For questions, or to report violations, please call (206) 256-5297, or email laborstandards@seattle.gov. For detailed information about the Domestic Worker’s Ordinance visit our website.
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